The Only One
by chunkymonkey0313
Summary: It's been four years since Voldemort was defeated. Hermione is a Healer at St. Mungo's and random deaths have started occuring again. One night while at home, an unexpected person from her past showed up at her door. DM/HG, better summary inside. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Summary**- It's been four years since Voldemort was defeated, three since Hermione Granger graduated top of her class at Hogwarts. She is now a Healer at St. Mungo's working on the fourth floor. Random deaths start to occur once more and Hermione is scared that Voldemort's followers are acting out. One night while at home, an unexpected guest arrives at Hermione's flat. Broken and defeated, Draco Malfoy can barely remember anything. Is it simply because he doesn't want to remember or did someone make him forget? Will she be able to heal his wounds and on the way will he be able to fix hers? Can his memories be the key to finding out what the Death Eaters are up to?

"_Before you, I could only see as deep as the skin. Before you, I never thought I could let anyone in. Before you, I was waiting for my life to begin."_

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!  
><strong>Credit for this wonderful book goes to JK Rowling :)

_{ obliviate_ _}_

The Only One  
>Chapter One<p>

**May 2, 2002**

Four years. Today was the four year anniversary of Voldemort's defeat. Four years of peace in the Wizarding world. Four years to build up new scars. Four years of nightmares. Today didn't feel like a day of celebration to Hermione Granger. She closed her eyes tightly, willing the flashes of color to vanish. _Please, not today. _She didn't want to think about that battle. She didn't want to think of the faces of the friends she had lost. She didn't want to think about the heart wrenching pain when she had thought Hagrid was carrying a lifeless Harry Potter. She took a few deep breaths and willed the images away, forcing them into the dark recesses of her mind and locking them away. Today was a holiday and she would enjoy the celebrations. Her chocolate eyes opened and she stared at her reflection. Her hair was no longer wild and busy, but tamed into tight ringlets that fell to the middle of her back and she was wearing a white cotton strapless dress that hugged her torso and flared out at her waist, ending just above her knees with white ballet flats. Finding her reflection satisfactory, she left her room to head to the kitchen.

"Ginny! Are you almost ready?" she called as she passed the door to the guest room.

"I'll be out in a minute!" Ginny said.

Hermione huffed slightly, "Well hurry up or we're going to be late!"

She heard the door to the guest room open and then Ginny bounded into the kitchen. Her fiery red hair was pulled up into a high pony tail, a few wisps curling around her delicate face. Her dress was a pale green that brought out her eyes and was the same style as Hermione's and she was wearing black ballet flats. Ginny was giving Hermione a nervous look and Hermione laughed lightly.

"You look beautiful, Gin!" Hermione gushed, wrapping the younger girl in a hug, "Harry won't be able to keep his eyes off of you."

Ginny beamed brightly, "That was the whole point!"

Mentioning Harry made Hermione think of Ron and she bit her lip nervously, "You don't think _he'll _be there, do you?"

"I donno, 'Moine," Ginny said honestly, "If he is and tries to talk to you, I'll hex him."

"Thanks Ginny," Hermione sent her best friend a shaky smile.

"Now let's go!" Ginny perked up instantly, "It's time to celebrate!"

Hermione laughed at Ginny's enthusiasm as she was pulled into the living room. Hermione grabbed a fist full of floo powder and threw it into the flames of her fireplace. She stepped into the warm green glow and shouted, "The Burrow!" before she was pulled into the flames and swirling past fireplaces. It wasn't long before her feet hit the ground and she stumbled slightly out of the fireplace and into the Burrow. Before she had even managed to get her bearings, she was pulled into a fierce hug and the scent of sawdust and ginger engulfed her senses and she squealed, hugging Harry tightly. He pulled away from her and studied her closely.

"Looking good, Hermione!" Harry laughed.

Hermione swatted his arm playfully, "Wait until you see your girlfriend."

The fireplace flashed green and Ginny stood there, much more composed than Hermione was. She saw Harry and squealed in delight, throwing herself into his arms. Hermione didn't wait to hear their exchange and left them alone so they could bask in each other's affection. Harry had been on a mission for the last two weeks with some other Aurors, tracking down more of the remaining Death Eaters. Ginny had been staying with Hermione, not wanting to be alone while Harry was gone. Hermione wandered into the kitchen and found George sitting alone at the table, a glass of firewhiskey in his hands. He lifted the drink to his lips and downed the rest of the burning liquid, slamming the glass back onto the table. Hermione watched him, her eyes sad. She always thought that George handled this day the worst and she made her way over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her cheek on the top of his head. She heard him sigh and felt him entwine his fingers with hers. George was like an older brother to her, and she hated to see him upset.

"I miss him too," Hermione whispered softly.

"It's just not fair," George whispered brokenly, "I want Fred back. It's not the same without him."

He clutched Hermione like she was his lifeline as he broke down, his sobs wrenching her heart. George was usually good at keeping himself together, except for the anniversary of Fred's death. Even though today was a day for celebration because the second war ended, it was also a day of mourning. So many people had died on this day four years ago and Hermione could never blame George for never joining in on the celebration. After a few minutes, his sobs died down and Hermione moved to sit next to him, wiping the stray tears that still fell from his eyes.

"It's never going to be the same, George," Hermione said, "And we're all still hurting, we just have to make the best of it."

George sighed, "I know, thanks Hermione."

"Anytime," Hermione kissed his cheek and stood, "Try to come to the celebration tonight. Katie will be there, she always is."

Hermione walked into the living room to find the rest of the Weasleys and Harry sitting around and talking. Mrs. Weasley stood to pull her into a hug and gushed about how thin she was. Hermione could only laugh as she sat down on the couch next to Harry. She did miss the Weasley family dearly, but it was hard for her to be around them because of everything that had happened with Ronald. Stupid, cheating git. This was a tradition, though. They would gather at the Burrow to have their own private celebration before going off to join the festivities in Diagon Alley. The rest of the Weasley clan had already left and Hermione was about to leave with Harry and Ginny but then Ginny looked to the entrance of the living room and glared. Hermione's brow furrowed and she turned her head to see none other than Ron Weasley staring at her. Hermione's breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened. Oh why did he have to come?

"Hermione," Ron said, his voice shaking slightly.

Ginny was on her feet in a flash, her wand pointed threateningly at Ron's face, "Do not speak to her or you will regret it."

Ron gulped slightly and looked to Harry for help, who turned away to comfort Hermione. He looked stricken and turned his tortured gaze away from Hermione, his eyes pleading with Ginny. She didn't budge. Her brother had done enough to hurt Hermione and she wouldn't stand by and watch him trample over her heart all over again. Defeated, Ron lowered his head and shuffled away from the room. Hermione didn't know where he was going and she honestly didn't care, as long as it was away from her. She rubbed furiously at her eyes, hating herself for letting a few tears escape in his presence.

"Don't let it ruin your night, Hermione," Harry said softly, "He's a right git for treating you that way and doing what he did to you. Let's just go out to Diagon Alley and have fun, alright?"

Hermione sniffled and nodded her head, "Okay, Harry. Let's go."

She wasn't going to let Ron ruin her night. With Harry and Ginny in tow, Hermione apparated to the Leaky Cauldron and landed in the alleyway outside. She tapped the bricks in the correct order and the archway opened up, revealing the lighted street of Diagon Alley. Music was playing and the street was filled with witches and wizards, dancing and drinking. Hermione had never seen anything quite like the celebrations of Voldemort's defeat. It seemed as though the entire London wizarding community showed up at Diagon Alley each year to celebrate and remember their fallen friends and family. Ginny laughed and pulled Harry into the teeming mass of people. Harry quickly grabbed Hermione's hand and the three of them ventured into the celebration. A little girl came up and tugged on Hermione's dress. Curious, Hermione peered down at the little girl who stared up at her with wide, pale blue eyes.

"S'cuse me, Miss," she said, "Are you Hermione Granger?"

Hermione smiled at her and kneeled down to speak with her, "I am and what's your name?"

"I'm Jessie Wood!" she beamed, "My daddy tells me stories about how you helped Harry Potter defeat the bad guy. Did you really help him, Miss Granger?"

"I did help him," Hermione smiled.

"Jessie!"

Hermione looked up to see Oliver Wood walking towards them, a stern look on his face, "Jessie, how many times do I have to tell you not to wonder off?"

"But I saw Miss Granger, daddy!" she pouted, "She says you're telling the truth all along!"

Hermione stood and smiled at Oliver, "Hullo, Oliver. It's been awhile."

Oliver's eyes widened when he took in Hermione's face and he laughed, "Hermione! It's good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too!" Hermione said, "I didn't know you had a daughter!"

"Yep! She's my pride and joy!" Oliver patted her head affectionately, "Looks just like her mum, she does."

Hermione didn't need to ask, she could see the pain in Oliver's eyes and knew he had lost his wife during the war. She hugged him and gave him her condolences before telling them that she had to go find Harry. With a smile, she waved to the pair and disappeared into the crowd. The next few hours passed by in a blur of music, dancing and meeting up with old friends. It was always like this at these things, but she found that she rather enjoyed it. Near the end of the celebration, Harry got up onto the stage with Ginny after being introduced by Kingsley Shacklebot, the Minister of Magic. Usually Harry would give a speech, but Hermione knew that he had something else in mind this year. Harry pointed his wand at his throat and muttered a spell to enhance his voice. He grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her to stand next to him on the stage.

"Today is a day of celebration because four years ago today, Voldemort was defeated. Today is also a day for remembrance for all the lives that were lost. They were all family and friends and they are missed each and every day. This war claimed more lives than it should have, but I want today to be a happy day. I want to be able to look back on this day and not be sad about the lives that were lost. I will always remember them, but I want to associate this day with something happy as well," Harry turned to Ginny and sunk down on one knee, pulling out a box and opening it to show her, "So, Ginny Weasley, will you do me the absolute honor of becoming my wife?"

Ginny's eyes welled with tears and she squealed, throwing herself at Harry and raining kisses all over his face. Hermione screamed in delight along with the rest of the crowd as Harry slipped the ring onto Ginny's finger. Today was definitely a good day. After Harry and Ginny left the stage, she pushed her way past people and ran up to Ginny, hugging her tightly as they screamed together. Harry grimaced slightly but couldn't hold it for long, seeing as how Ginny was so happy. Hermione stepped back and grabbed Ginny's hand, studying the ring. It was beautiful; a heart shaped emerald was set in white gold with diamond studs surrounding it. The ring was perfect for Ginny and Hermione silently congratulated Harry on picking out such a perfect ring.

"Congratulations you guys!" Hermione beamed, "I knew this was going to happen eventually!"

"I bet you knew all along that it was going to happen tonight!" Ginny said, "Why couldn't you tell your best friend?"

"And ruin the surprise?" Hermione laughed, "No way!"

Ginny pouted slightly and Hermione hugged her and Harry once more, bidding them goodnight and that she would see them tomorrow. The festivities had worn her out and she was ready to go home and get some sleep. The three friends parted ways and Hermione left Diagon Alley, disapperating into her flat once she was in the alleyway outside the brick wall. She poured water into the tea kettle and set it on the stove before she went upstairs to change into a pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top. Once she was back in the kitchen, she took the kettle off of the stove and poured the steaming water into her favorite mug and adding the tea leaves. She let them sit as she walked into her living room and settled down on the couch, picking up the book she had left on the table. She wanted to wind down and relax for a little bit before she actually went to bed. She had only been reading for a few moments before someone started pounding on her door. She jumped slightly, spilling her tea and she cursed.

"Be right there!" Hermione called.

Who could be at her door at this hour? She looked at her clock; it was almost one in the morning. She cleaned the spilled tea quickly and hurried to her door, opening it swiftly and then almost closed it again. What the hell? A man leaned against the wall, his face cut and bruised. He was holding his left side with his right hand and Hermione could see the blood that was on his shirt. Blood was also trickling from a wound in his left arm and dripping from his fingers. His once white blonde hair was matted and dirty and his steely grey eyes were terrified and pleading. It couldn't be him, could it? There was no way.

"Please, Hermione. I need your help."

Hermione stiffened at the sound of his voice. There was no mistaking it; she would know that voice anywhere, even with the slight tremor.

Draco Malfoy was at her door.

_{ obliviate_ _}_

**Author's Note  
><strong>So… what do you think? I actually really like where I see this story heading and I would love it if you would leave me a review! I absolutely love critiques and I'd love to hear what you think of the first chapter. The more reviews I get the faster I will update! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **I super appreciate OMGitsBITTY for my first review:) and I also appreciate all the people who added this story to their alerts and favorites:) So here is chapter two! Hopefully I will get more reviews after this one:)

"_Before you, I could only see as deep as the skin. Before you, I never thought I could let anyone in. Before you, I was waiting for my life to begin."_

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!  
><strong>Credit for this wonderful book goes to JK Rowling :)

_{ obliviate_ _}_

The Only One  
><span>Chapter Two<span>

Hermione stood in her doorway, gaping at the man in front of her. He had just asked her for help. _Her._ Hermione Granger. Harry Potter's muggle-born best friend. He also said _please. _Who was this man and what did he do with Draco Malfoy? She had never seen such a vulnerable look on his face before. Damn her and her kindness! His wounds were calling to the Healer inside of her and she prepared herself. She was so going to regret this and Harry was going to kill her.

"Give me your wand."

Draco looked like he had been slapped, "Excuse me?"

"I don't trust you, Malfoy," Hermione ground out, "So if you want me to help you, _give me your wand."_

Draco's face fell even more and he looked utterly defeated as he dug into his pocket and pulled out his wand, thrusting it into Hermione's outstretched hand. She moved to the side and opened the door wider, permitting her childhood enemy entrance into her home. Merlin, what was she _doing? _She watched as Draco limped into her apartment and she wrapped an arm around his waist to help him after she shut the door. Hermione led him into the guest bedroom and helped him onto the bed.

"What happened to you, Malfoy?" Hermione asked as she gathered her supplies.

I… I don't… know," Draco whispered, closing his eyes, "I can't… remember."

Hermione turned to stare at Draco, "What's the last thing you can remember?"

"I ran… into you in Diagon Alley," Draco said, "You were shopping for a… a wedding dress… with the she-weasel. It's blank after that… the next thing I remember was showing up on your street and finding my way to your flat…"

"Malfoy…" Hermione said quietly, blinking back the tears that the memory of that day brought on, "That was almost two years ago…"

Draco's eyes flew open and he stared at Hermione in shock, "Wh… what? No. That's impossible! What's today's date?"

Hermione picked up her copy of the daily prophet and handed it wordlessly to Draco. He gazed at the date on the paper for a few moments before a strangled cry left his lips and he threw the paper across the room, breathing heavily. It… wasn't possible. How did he lose _two years?_ Where had he been? What had he been doing? Who was he with? Hermione could tell that he was beginning to panic by the way his eyes darted around the room. How could he had lost two years of memories? What had happened to him? She walked over to him and took his hand, caressing his skin with her thumb. It was soft.

"You need to calm down, Malfoy," she said softly, but stern, "I need to heal you. If you keep freaking out you're going to hurt yourself more."

Draco only nodded and tried to control his breathing. Hermione took this as a good sign and used her wand to clean all of his wounds. She used her wand on the smaller scrapes and bruises on his face. She pulled out her bottle of dittany and placed a few drops over the gash on his arm. She gently lifted up his shirt and winced at the sight of the gash in his side. That had to hurt. She held the dittany over his side and let the drops fall onto his open wound and watched as the flesh knitted itself back together. She gently brushed her fingers over his healed skin, still amazed at the wonders and horror magic could perform. She felt him shiver under her fingers and hastily pulled her hand away and cleaned the blood off of his clothes and sheets. He had stared at the ceiling the whole time she worked without speaking and Hermione's eyebrows furrowed in concern. What had happened to him? She pulled out the other two vials she grabbed and handed the first one to Draco. He took it from her hands and eyed it warily.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "It's not poison. It's a blood replenishing potion, and this one is a dreamless sleep potion."

He seemed satisfied with her answer and downed the first potion. Hermione could instantly see color returning to his face and she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. He reached for the second vial and Hermione gave it to him, watching as he drank that one as well. She eyed his ripped clothing as he was drinking the potions and decided that he could use some different clothes. She walked towards her closet and pulled out boxes, looking in them to find a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt. When she found clothes that looked like they would fit him, she threw the clothes onto the bed and turned to leave the room.

"Hermione, wait!" Draco called.

"Yes?" Hermione looked back at him.

"Thank you…" he whispered, "For helping me…"

Hermione smiled at him, "You're welcome. Goodnight, Draco."

After she left the guest room, she closed the door behind her and practically ran to her room. Why did the way he said her name make her heart pound? Why did his thanks take her breath away? Why was she so concerned about him? She scowled and scolded herself. It was simply because she had been alone for almost two years. Of course, that had to be it. She didn't _really _care about him, right? She let out a frustrated growl and went into her bathroom to brush her teeth. When she was done, she crawled into her bed and clutched a pillow to her chest, willing herself to sleep.

_( )_

_Hermione was standing with the rest of the survivors in front of Hogwarts as Death Eaters marched onto the grounds, Voldemort and Hagrid in the front. She felt her feet moving, not realizing that she hadn't meant to walk forward and then felt Ron's hand around her wrist. She hung back, trying to determine what Hagrid was carrying in his arms. Voldemort was speaking, but she didn't hear what he was saying. She only recognized the tangled mass of black hair in Hagrid's arms and she felt her knees give out. Surely, that wasn't Harry. It couldn't be. He couldn't be… she wouldn't believe it. Harry was stronger than that. He would've found a way out. She was sure of it. _

"_**Harry Potter is dead."**_

_Someone was screaming, was that her or Ginny? All she knew was that if Ron's arms weren't around her, she would be on the ground. She felt like her chest was hollow. Her heart had been ripped from her chest. She had never had a brother before; Harry was the closest thing she had. He wouldn't have left her. She refused to believe it. How could he do that to her? To Ginny? This was a sick dream, it had to be. Wake up, Harry! Her mind was screaming at her and Harry wasn't moving._

_( )_

Draco woke up, startled. He gazed around the room, confused. Where was he? Oh yes, he remembered now. He had showed up at Hermione Granger's flat, asking for help. She was the only person he could trust. Her and Potter, something was wrong and he needed to warn them, but he couldn't remember what it was. The house was quiet and he didn't know why he had woken up. He closed his eyes before he heard the screaming and he realized that was what had woken him up in the first place. He eyes flew open and he stumbled out of bed. The screams had died down into whimpers and Draco pushed Hermione's door open to find her thrashing on her bed. He rushed over to her side and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face.

"Hermione," he said firmly, placing his lips close to her ear, "Wake up, it's only a dream."

Draco had to shake her and call her names a few more times before Hermione sat up, gasping. Her eyes darted around the room franticly before they landed on Draco. She stared at him for a few seconds and then suddenly launched herself at his chest, her face buried in the crook of his neck and his fingers tangled in his hair. He could feel her body shaking as sobs racked her petite frame and he hesitated, not really knowing what to do. He was bad with crying girls. He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist tightly and brought her body closer to his. He had wanted to do this for _years _and it felt so good to have her body so close to his. He stayed with her until her sobs died down and she pulled away from him. He reluctantly let her go and a choked laugh escaped her lips.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"It's okay," he said softly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's just a nightmare," Hermione was embarrassed that she still had nightmares from that night four years ago, "What time is it?"

Draco looked at the clock that was behind her, "It's seven in the morning."

"Okay," Hermione nodded, "We need to take you to St. Mungo's."

"Why?" Draco asked, narrowing his eyes.

"_Because, _Malfoy," Hermione sighed, "You lost two years of your life. I can't figure out what kind of spell or potion was used on you without the proper equipment."

"Oh," it was then that Draco realized Hermione was very much _alone_, "Where is the Weasel?"

Hermione stiffened at his words, "Ronald and I aren't together. We never got married."

"What happened?" Draco asked, curious.

"I don't want to talk about it," Hermione snapped, "Go get ready. I want to leave within the hour."

Forty-five minutes later, Draco was standing outside of St. Mungo's with Hermione, grumbling to himself about bossy, bushy haired know-it-alls. How had he let himself get bossed around by her again? Right, she was Hermione Granger and frankly he was terrified of her. She had a nasty stinging hex. He had seen it first-hand performed on Harry back before the Second War was over. No thanks; he would rather not be at the wrong end of her wand. Hermione had been strangely quiet since his inquiry about the Weasel and he wondered what had happened to break the couple up. Everyone had always thought they would end up together. Draco honestly never thought he had a chance with her after the war. Since his father was in Azkaban, he no longer had to follow what the bastard had force fed him since his birth. He could now make his own choices and since his childhood crush was currently _available, _he wanted to find a way to make her his.

"Malfoy?"

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, "Yes, Granger?"

"Are you coming?" Hermione was impatiently tapping her foot just inside of the building.

"Right… Sorry," Draco smirked and followed Hermione into the building.

Hermione was almost grateful that Ginny wasn't working today. How would she explain Malfoy's presence? _Oh Malfoy? Don't worry about him. He just showed up on my doorstep half dead last night and instead of turning him away like I should have, I invited him in and fixed him up! _She was pretty sure that wouldn't go over very well. Just because Harry vouched for Draco after the war didn't mean that they were best friends. Harry still didn't trust him. Of course, neither did she, but she couldn't just leave him to _die _on her doorstep. That would be inhumane. She also found herself curious about his situation and wanted to figure out just exactly what had happened to him. Hermione led him through the hallways and up to the fourth floor where she worked. People stared at her and Draco and she was sure they were confused as to why a former Death Eater was trailing behind the former Gryffindor Princess and she didn't really have an answer to that.

"Where are we going?" Draco asked.

"My office," Hermione said lightly, "It's by the Janus Thickey Ward, which is where most of the equipment I need is."

Draco said nothing, just continued to follow Hermione to her office. With a quick flick of her wand, the door to her office was open and she was pushing Draco inside and shutting the door behind him. Draco spun around to snap at her, only to realize she wasn't in the office with him. He smirked; this was the perfect opportunity to rummage through her things! Draco searched through her desk to find nothing of interest. Everything good must be back at her flat. He pouted, Granger was no fun. Since he didn't remember the last two years, he wanted to have something on her. Draco collapsed onto her chair and waited for Hermione to return. It didn't take much longer before she was back in the office, a vial in one hand and some wire looking things in the other. He peered at her curiously and she shot him a look, basically telling him to keep his mouth shut, which he did.

"This potion is supposed to help your brain retrieve memories," Hermione explained, "And I'm going to connect the ends of these wires to your temple and the other end to my wand and depending on the color, it will tell me how you lost your memories. It will also kick your brain into over-drive, helping bring up some of the suppressed memories."

Draco stared at Hermione, "Are you sure this won't kill me?"

Hermione laughed at Draco's skeptical look, "Yes, I'm sure."

He still wasn't sure about this, but he let Hermione hook up the wires to his temple and watched as she placed the other end of the wires onto her wand. She held out the vial to him and scowled at it. He seemed to be taking a lot of potions from Hermione lately. He hoped there wouldn't be some crazy side effect to this. He grimaced as the liquid burned his throat on the way down and he waved his hand, letting Hermione know she could continue. She gave him a reassuring smile and muttered a spell under her breath and placed her wand on the table. Draco watched as her wand started to shake and he felt like little electric currents were running through his head. It didn't hurt, per say, but it wasn't very comfortable either. He thought the little crease in Hermione's eyebrows and the way she bit her lip slightly as she looked at her wand was rather cute. He blamed the little electric currents on that thought. Hermione's wand started shaking harder and the electric currents became painful and Draco winced. He saw Hermione's worried face in front of his eyes and saw her lips moving, but he couldn't see anything and he cried out before everything went black. Hermione cursed as Draco slumped over in her chair, unconscious, a trickle of blood coming from his nose. This wasn't good. She pulled the wires off of his skin and frowned at the blue glow that emanated from her wand. She had never seen that color before. She tried to wake Draco up, but nothing seemed to be working.

_( )_

_Draco could feel Hermione shaking him, could hear her calling his name, but he was trapped in the flashes of color and the sound of garbled voices. Everything was spinning by him so fast, it was making him dizzy and he couldn't really catch anything that he saw. Suddenly the spinning stopped and he was staring at… himself. How was that even possible? Memory Draco was sitting in the library, reading a book and Draco walked up to himself, waving a hand in front of his face. Of course, memory Draco couldn't see him. The door to the library burst open and memory Draco's face snapped up to look at the door. Draco turned his head to find Theodore Nott standing at the door._

"_Malfoy."_

"_Nott._ _What brings you to my humble home?"_

"_What? Haven't you heard?"_

_Memory Draco scoffed and rolled his eyes, his voice heavy with sarcasm, "Yes, of course I've heard. That's why I'm asking you what you're doing in my home. No! Obviously I haven't heard. What's going on?"_

"_Your father found his way out of Azkaban. He called all the Death Eaters together. Aren't you coming?"_

_Memory Draco paled, "You're fucking with me, aren't you Nott?"_

_Draco watched as his memory self placed the book he was reading on the table and he stood up, walking towards his old school mate, drawing his wand and holding it at his side, ready to fling a hex at the boy who dared to speak such lies in his own home. Nott, as usual, began to cower. Draco had no idea how the coward had made it as a Death Eater. Strangely, though, he didn't retract his earlier statement about his Father finding his way out of the wizard prison. _

"_You think I'd lie to you about this?" Nott hissed, "Your father will be furious if you don't show."_

_That was all Memory Draco needed to hear._ _He flung a stunning spell at Nott and tore out of the room. He was trying to change! He didn't want anything to do with his father or the Death Eaters or death and destruction. He was done! He didn't want to do anything bad anymore! He wanted to live a normal life! Find a girl who would love him despite his flaws, settle down, have a family! Draco ran after his memory self and skidded to a halt behind him. He could see his memory self shaking slightly. Standing in the middle of the sitting room was none other than Lucius Malfoy. His hair was dirty and hung limply around his face. His eyes were sunk into his skin that was paler than Draco had ever seen it before. Seeing him, standing there smirking, terrified Draco. _

"_Leaving so soon, Draco?" his father whispered menacingly, "Aren't you going to say hello to your dear Father?"_

_Memory Draco swallowed, "Hello, Father."_

"_You're going to help me whether you want to or not, Draco," Lucius sneered and lifted his wand, pointing it at Memory Draco, "__**Crucio!"**_

_( )_

When Draco came to, he was screaming. Hermione was clutching him, holding his thrashing arms and her face was stained with tears. Draco gulped down air and wrapped his arms around Hermione. She was an anchor and he needed something to ground him to reality. Yet that was a memory, not a dream. This was bad. This was so bad. He didn't know how long ago that had happened and he was worried about what he had done for his father. If he had done anything at all. After a few moments, he pulled away from Hermione and composed himself. This was going to be hard to say.

"I remembered something," Draco whispered.

Hermione perked up, wiping her eyes, "What did you remember?"

"My father managed to get out of Azkaban."

Silence. Hermione stared at Draco as if he had just grown another head.

"That's impossible," She said, "There has been nothing in the Prophet."

"I assure you it's quite possible," Draco snapped, "He's out and he's planning something."

Hermione bit her lip, "We need to get back to my flat and we need to call Harry and let him know."

Great. Just great. He was going to get to see Potter. Just what he needed. Merlin, this day just got better and better.

_{ obliviate_ _}_

**Author's Note  
><strong>So here is chapter two! What did you think? Did you like it? Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought! Remember, the more reviews, the faster I will get the next chapter up! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **I am SO sorry it has taken me so long to update! This chapter is long overdue and I hope you like it! Thank you again to the reviews and for adding this story to your favorites :) And a big thank you to those of you who reviewed! It really makes me want to keep writing! Keep on coming with those reviews!

"_Before you, I could only see as deep as the skin. Before you, I never thought I could let anyone in. Before you, I was waiting for my life to begin."_

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!  
><strong>Credit for this wonderful book goes to JK Rowling :)

_{ obliviate_ _}_

The Only One  
>Chapter Three<p>

As soon as they got back to Hermione's flat, Draco sprinted to the guest bedroom and barricaded the door. Hermione dashed after him and cringed as she heard Draco breaking almost everything in the room. She was going to bust the door down but figured it would just be better for him to let out all of his frustration and confusion out. Besides, she could use magic to fix whatever he broke anyway. So really, it was no big deal. She knew she should call Harry, but she felt strangely protective of Draco and didn't want Harry to see him so vulnerable. So, instead she leaned against the wall and slid down to the ground to sit and wait for him to be done. Hermione didn't have to wait long before the crashing died down and she heard Draco sit down heavily on the floor. She wondered what he was thinking about and how hard he was trying to remember what happened with his father.

"Malfoy?" Hermione asked.

"Why did you and Weasley break up?"

Hermione stiffened at his question, "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Please, Hermione," Draco pleaded, "Give me something else to be mad about."

She could hear the desperation in his voice, the undisguised pain. This new Draco Malfoy unsettled her, but at the same time she felt drawn to him, to his vulnerability and need for attention. She wanted to hold him and protect him, to take away his pain. The way his voice broke on her name crushed her already weak resolve to not let him in. So, she told him the things that she hadn't told anyone besides Harry and Ginny.

"Did you know I was pregnant?" Hermione asked.

"You were? When? What happened?" he sounded genuinely concerned and this helped Hermione continue.

"About six months before my wedding," Hermione said quietly, "I found out because I miscarried. I was three months pregnant."

The door to the guest room opened and Draco peered out, his face flushed and his eyes red, "I'm so sorry, Hermione. That's so terrible."

"It was a long time ago," Hermione watched as Draco crawled out of the guest room and sat next to her, "Ronald was furious. At first, he just called me names. He told me that losing the baby was my fault. That since I'm the _brightest _witch of our age I should have been able to save the baby."

Draco gaped at Hermione, "What the fuck is wrong with that bastard?"

"I don't know," Hermione shrugged and continued, "About a month after I miscarried, he started grabbing me and shaking me. Eventually he hit me."

"Draco's head snapped to the side to look at Hermione and in a deadly calm voice he asked, "He did what?"

"He hit me," Hermione repeated, "This lasted for another two months. Then Ginny found some of the bruises and went off on Ron. Then she told Harry who dragged him outside and beat him."

"Good for Potter!" Draco growled, "I will kill Weasley next time I see him."

Hermione scowled, "You will do no such thing! Ronald is not worth the energy."

"I can't promise you I won't hurt him, "Draco said stiffly.

"Anyway," Hermione said, glaring at Draco, "After that he went to counseling and for the three months before the wedding, he was perfect."

"So why didn't you marry him?" Draco asked.

"I almost did," Hermione sighed, "Thankfully, right before we were pronounced husband and wife, Hannah Abbott stood up and objected to the marriage because she was six months pregnant with Ronald's child. I slapped him and ran."

"That worthless git!" Draco fumed as he put an arm around Hermione's shoulders, "I'm so sorry he did that to you. You didn't deserve any of that, Hermione."

Hermione leaned into Draco's embrace, "Thanks, Malfoy."

"Call me Draco," he said quietly.

That was when Hermione decided to give Draco a chance. They may have not gotten along at school, but that was a long time ago and Draco seemed so different. This new Draco was kind and sweet and strangely protective of her. She wondered why he acted like that. Did it have something to do with losing his memories? Or did he finally just decide he needed to change? They sat in silence for a little bit before Draco stood up, helping Hermione after him.

"Let's get Potter, shall we?" Draco asked.

Hermione nodded and smiled at Draco, leading him back into her living room. Draco was actually amazed at how forgiving Hermione was. He had expected her to scoff at him and turn him away. It would have been no less than he deserved after the way he treated her all those years before, but if his father had found out he was in love with a _mudblood _since _fourth year, _he would have gone crazy and it would have been Draco's end. So he had to continue to hate the Gryffindor Princess when he wanted nothing more than to be the reason for her smile. He would do anything to make Hermione Granger his and since Weasley was no longer in the picture, it would be quite easy. At least, he hoped it would be. He watched as Hermione grabbed a fistful of floo powder and threw it into the flames. She crouched down and stuck her head into the flames.

"Potter cottage!" Hermione called and after a few moments, spoke again, "Ginny! Is Harry there? Oh, hello Harry! Can you come over? I need to speak with you."

Hermione stood up and stepped back from the fireplace. Draco was actually rather nervous. He hadn't seen Potter since the final battle of Hogwarts. It was only a few moments before Harry Potter stepped through the fireplace, brushing ash off of his robes. He looked up with a smile on his face, his emerald green eyes sparkling before they landed on Draco. In a split second his eyes narrowed and darkened and he had his wand trained on Draco. Hermione squeaked and jumped between Harry and Draco, her hand on Harry's wand. Draco stood calmly, watching Harry carefully. He wouldn't be able to do anything, Hermione still had his wand.

"Hermione, what is _he _doing here?" Harry ground out.

"Oh come off it, Harry!" Hermione snapped, "School was ages ago."

"He was still a _Death Eater,_" Harry spat the word.

Draco cleared his throat, "A forced Death Eater, if it means anything."

"Forced?" Hermione looked at Draco.

"My father told me that if I didn't join the Dark Lord, then my mother was going to be killed," Draco said, his eyes pleading with Hermione to understand, "I had to protect her."

Hermione's eyes softened and she turned back to Harry, "For Merlin's sake, Harry! Put down your wand! Malfoy doesn't even have his!"

Harry pocketed his wand, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "He doesn't?"

"Nope," Draco smirked, "Granger here took it from me before I even set foot inside her flat."

"Oh," Harry looked a little lost, "How long have you been here then?"

"He showed up last night after the celebration," Hermione spoke up, "That's why I wanted to talk to you Harry. Malfoy's last clear memory was that day before my wedding when Ginny and I were shopping for dresses."

"So what's important about that?" Harry asked.

"Because Potter," Draco drawled, "It has something to do with my father."

Harry's mouth fell open in shock, "That's not possible. Your father is in Azkaban."

"Apparently not," Draco hugged and sat down on the couch, "Hermione took me to St. Mungo's earlier to help me try to remember and the only thing I got was my dear father coming home."

"How long ago was this?" Harry asked.

"Oh, you know, Potter, it was just last week," Draco said sarcastically.

Harry scowled, "So you don't know?"

"No, we don't know," Hermione said, glaring at Draco, "When did the Death Eaters start acting up?"

"About six months ago," Harry murmured, sitting down.

"I think that Draco's father is behind it," Hermione said, "It makes sense. Why would he escape Azkaban with no one realizing it, if he wasn't up to something?"

"I agree with Hermione," Draco said.

Harry narrowed his eyes, "How do we know that you really lost your memories? How do we know you aren't working for your father?"

"There is a reason why I didn't kill Dumbledore and why I didn't tell my father who you were," Draco snapped, "That's not the life I wanted. When my father went to Azkaban I thought I could finally be my own person, make my own decisions, love who I wanted… put me under veritaserum if you'd like. I'm not lying; I've been trying to be a better person."

"Harry, give him a chance," Hermione murmured, "He could help you."

"Give me a reason to trust you, Malfoy, and I'll consider it," with that said, Harry spun on the balls of his feet and disapparated.

Hermione let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and sat down next to Draco, "Well that went over well."

"I'm sorry Hermione," Draco said softly, staring at his hands.

"For what?" Hermione asked, glancing sideways at him.

"All of the horrible things I've said and done to you," Draco whispered, looking up into Hermione's eyes.

The sincerity in his grey orbs took her breath away and she let out an inaudible gasp, "It's okay, Draco…"

"No, Hermione! It's not okay!" Draco's tortured gaze traveled down to her arm and he traced the white scar that decorated her skin, "I wanted to stop it. I wanted to stop my Aunt from hurting you. I wanted to stop myself from hurting you, but I couldn't. I was weak."

"It's not weakness when you're protecting someone that you love," Hermione said, "It takes a lot of strength to be a part of something you don't like just to keep someone safe. Don't doubt yourself, Draco. That isn't who you are."

Draco stared at Hermione, his eyes wide as she stood up. She gave him a small smile and walked back to her room, shutting the door behind her.

{ }

Harry apparated into his and Ginny's flat with an audible 'pop'. He ran a hand through his unruly black hair and heaved a sigh, sitting down on his sofa. Ginny came into the room a few minutes later and saw her fiancée's troubled look. She sat down next to Harry and took his hands into hers. She didn't ask him what was wrong. He would tell her when he was ready. It wasn't long before Harry got up and began to pace in front of Ginny. She watched him calmly, waiting.

"Malfoy is at Hermione's apartment," Harry suddenly said, "_Malfoy. _Hermione is crazy! What is she thinking?"

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise, "Malfoy as in Draco Malfoy?"

"The very same," Harry seethed.

"What's he doing there?" Ginny asked.

Harry ran a hand through his tangled hair, "He claims to have lost his memory. Now Hermione and Draco claim that Lucius Malfoy somehow broke out of Azkaban and is in charge of the Death Eaters. That he has been behind all the attacks the last six months."

"Well it does make sense, Harry," Ginny said softly.

"Yeah but how could we not know that Lucius escaped from Azkaban?" Harry threw up his hands in frustration.

"If anyone could find out how to do it, Lucius Malfoy is it," Ginny stood and took Harry's hands into hers, "Now what's really bothering you?"

Harry let the feel of Ginny's skin on his soothe him, "How could Hermione be so open with him? So trusting? After everything he put her through during school? How can she just believe him?"

"Hermione is the brightest witch of our age," Ginny smiled softly, "And she does specialize in memory loss. Besides, weren't you the one who defended Malfoy at his trial?"

"That's because he saved my life, Gin," Harry sighed, "He didn't tell his parents or his aunt that it was me that day at the manor. It doesn't mean that I'm suddenly friends with him."

"I know it doesn't," Ginny kissed his knuckles, "But you know Hermione. If she is determined to help him, and if she thinks Malfoy's father is behind everything, then he very well could be. You may not trust Malfoy, but you trust Hermione right? And when is our Hermione ever wrong?"

"Hardly ever," Harry said, accepting the inevitable.

"So then trust Hermione to work with Malfoy," Ginny said, "You know she will give you whatever information she finds out and you can look into it."

Harry groaned, "But how do we know Malfoy isn't just trying to trick us? What if he's working for his Father?"

"Hermione is smarter than that. Now let's go talk to them and let them know that you will accept Malfoy's help with whatever he can remember," Ginny began tugging at his hand, "And then you can look into Lucius escaping from Azkaban."

{ }

Draco was still sitting in the same spot that Hermione had left him in. How long ago did she go back to her room? A few minutes ago? A few hours? He didn't know. His mind was churning with the words she left him with. Did she really think that he was brave? Did she really think he had that much strength? He just couldn't see it. He had been so afraid of what would happen to his mother if he disobeyed his Father; if he found out he cared about Hermione during school. He shuddered at the thought of what would happen to her if his father ever found Hermione. He should probably lay low for a while. He didn't know what his Father was planning and didn't want to get Hermione dragged into it. He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard the fireplace roar to life and out stepped Potter and the She Weasel.

"Where is Hermione?" Harry asked.

"She went into her room after you left," Draco shrugged, "What do you need?"

"Harry needs to talk to you," the She Weasel, Ginny was her name, said, "I need to speak with Hermione."

Ginny placed a chaste kiss on Harry's lips before walking past Draco and towards Hermione's room. They listened to the door shut and heard Hermione and Ginny's squeal of excitement before everything was quiet again. The tension in the room was palpable, but Draco wasn't going to be the first one to break it. If Potter didn't want to trust him, then fine, but he wasn't going to beg to convince him. He didn't need to. He knew the path that he had chosen, and it was different from his Father's. He wanted to be good enough for Hermione. Someone she could trust and rely on. He wanted to be able to make her face light up when he walked into the room. It was all he'd ever wanted.

Harry sat down across from Draco and cleared his throat, "I don't trust you, Malfoy."

"No surprise there," Draco snorted.

"But," Harry glared, continuing, "I trust Hermione with my life. She somehow thinks that there is some good in you. If that's the case, then I will trust her judgment to trust you but if you hurt her in any way, I will hunt you down and I will make you wish you were dead."

Draco sneered, "Making threats are we, Potter?"

"Promises," Harry shrugged, "Hermione is my best friend and I'll do anything for her."

Draco leaned back, watching Harry carefully, "So what do you want to know?"

"Everything, tell me everything you remember."

_{ obliviate_ _}_

**Author's Note: **Once again, I am so sorry about the length of time between these updates! I have been so busy with work and preparations to get back into the civilian world that my life has been pretty hectic! I hope that you like this chapter! If it's a little shorter, I'm sorry! I've had a bit of writers block. I know what I want to write but can't seem to get it written down the way I want it. Leave me a review and let me know what you think!

:D


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **I know I am terrible at the whole updating thing! I'm so sorry! I've been really busy with getting out of the Navy but I promise I will try to update more often since I will be leaving on terminal next Thursday! I'm going to try really hard to get this posted in a few days! Remember, leave me a review:) They always help to motivate me when I have writers block:)

"_Before you, I could only see as deep as the skin. Before you, I never thought I could let anyone in. Before you, I was waiting for my life to begin."_

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!  
><strong>Credit for this wonderful book goes to JK Rowling :)

_{ obliviate_ _}_

The Only One  
>Chapter Four<span>

The next few weeks were torture for Draco. His memories were slowly coming back to him while he slept. He had regained four more memories since Harry and himself had come to some sort of agreement. Whenever Draco regained a memory, or what he thought was a memory, he would immediately write to Harry in a two way journal. It was much like the one that Ginny had in her first year at Hogwarts, except instead of a horcrux it was just two journals. Draco would write in his and whatever he wrote in his would disappear from his journal and end up in Harry's. Harry could reply and it would show up in Draco's journal. They wrote in a special ink that only the two of them could see.

Each time he woke up from his dreams, or memories, Hermione was there with words of comfort. She no longer leaned into him as if she was searching for something she was missing. She would touch his arm, or brush away stray strands of hair from his face, but she had distanced herself. It pained Draco to see her pulling away, but after the memories he started regaining, it was probably for the best. He didn't blame her though; he had put her in an incredibly awkward position. Hermione Granger wasn't good at awkward. It had happened four days after Harry and Draco came to their agreement…

_{ FLASHBACK_ _}_

_Draco was screaming. Hermione shot out of bed and stumbled towards his room. It had become his room, he was a permanent resident in Hermione's flat until they figured out what the hell was going on with the Death Eaters. Truthfully, Hermione found his presence comforting and the loss of his memories still called out to her to fix him. Tonight, he sounded like someone was tearing him apart. Whether physically or emotionally, Hermione couldn't tell. Draco had been with Hermione for almost a week now and this was his first nightmare. Things had been quiet those first couple of days, but now Draco was screaming and Hermione wasn't sure when he was going to stop. She burst into his room and rushed to his bed where he was thrashing wildly._

"_Draco!"_

"_No, Father, please!" Draco pleaded, "Not her! Leave Granger out of this!"_

_Hermione stilled at his words. He was dreaming about her? About his Father? But was this a dream or an actual memory? Hermione had no way of knowing for sure until Draco was awake. If it was a memory, what could Draco's father possibly want with her? She was no one special. Sure, she was part of the Golden Trio but why not Harry? Everyone was always after Harry. Draco continued to trash and Hermione clutched at him, yelling at him to wake up. When he finally took in a deep, shuddering breath, he pushed Hermione away and his eyes wildly took in his surroundings. When he finally recognized Hermione, Draco calmed and instantly gathered her into his arms. Hermione inhaled sharply, hating how good it felt to be in his arms. She shouldn't want him like this, couldn't want him like this. Yet his touch set her veins on fire and provided her with a comfort she instantly craved. _

"_Draco?" she asked breathlessly._

"_I thought he…" Draco choked on his words, his arms tightening around her waist._

"_Thought what?" Hermione pushed._

_Instead of answering, Draco pulled away from her and his eyes searched her face. His gaze lingering on her slightly parted lips before returning to her eyes. Steel grey clashed with chocolate and Draco did the stupidest thing he could ever do. He closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against hers. _

_{ END_ _FLASHBACK }_

Draco wanted to punch himself for his stupidity. He was just so glad she was safe he had acted on impulse. His relief at seeing her whole and unharmed had clouded his judgment. He loved Hermione, yes, but she didn't love him. Their friendship was still too new, it was unexplored and Draco hadn't even begun to show her how he had changed. He was afraid that he had made one of the biggest mistakes by kissing her that night, but he couldn't help himself. He needed her heat and the comfort it provided. He would never tell that memory to Hermione. That's why he had made the journals with Harry. He would do whatever it took to keep her safe, even if it meant keeping her in the dark. Harry even agreed with him. Fancy that! At least they could agree on one thing. Draco sighed and put his pen down. He was writing down another memory for Harry but he couldn't focus. Hermione was in the forefront of his mind.

"Hey, ferret!"

Draco cursed and spun around, glaring at the red read in front of him, "Merlin, Gin! You gave me a damned heart attack!"

"Aww did the whittle Gryffindor scare the big bad ferret?" Ginny teased, her eyes shining.

"Shut it, ginger," Draco snapped.

"Someone is feisty today!" Laughing, she took a seat across from him at the table.

"What are you doing here, Ginny? Can't you go annoy Potter?" Draco tried to muster up some venom in his voice, but he couldn't do it.

"Harry is at work checking out some leads and Hermione is on shift," Ginny pouted, "So I'm bored and lonely and you're all I have to annoy!"

"Lucky me," Draco drawled sarcastically.

They sat in silence after that. Draco actually liked Potter's wife. She was tough, witty and could meet him head on in verbal challenges. She had been a good distraction for Draco while Hermione was at work and he found himself confiding in her. His feelings for Hermione were weighing him down and it was good to let everything all out. Of course, Ginny now made it her duty to set Draco up with Hermione and while he was secretly excited at the prospect of Hermione becoming his, he couldn't do it while she was in danger. He couldn't tell Ginny about it because if he told her, she would tell Hermione. So for now it was between Harry and himself and the less Hermione knew, the better.

"Let's go do something," Ginny said suddenly.

Draco raised an eyebrow, "Do something?"

"Yeah, you know, let's go out!" Ginny stood, "It will be fun! Come on, Harry will be gone for who knows how long and Hermione isn't off of work for another 8 hours!"

"I don't know, Ginny…" Draco trailed off and looked up at her.

"Please, Draco!" Ginny pouted.

Draco groaned, looking at her had been a mistake, "Alright, alright. Where do you want to go?"

"It's a secret," Ginny whispered before grabbing his hand and disapperating.

When they landed at their destination, Draco quickly tried to gather his bearings. Side-along apparition always made him disoriented. After a few seconds, Draco realized that they were at the park down the street from Hermione's flat. Draco furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and went to ask Ginny something but she quickly glared at him and held a finger to her mouth, indicating that Draco needed to be quiet. She started to walk silently, Draco following behind her. What were they doing? It's not like they could be very sneaky in the middle of the afternoon. It was at that moment that Ginny dug into her purse and pulled out Potter's invisibility cloak. Draco could only gape at her as she grinned and threw the cloak over their shoulders. Damn this sneaky red head. What was she up to? Draco's question was answered for him as they walked down into a seemingly deserted tunnel until the sound of voices drifted towards them.

"Do you think Draco got any of his memories back yet?" that was Pansy Parkinson's voice.

"Nah, there's no way. You know Theo is especially good with memory charms," Marcus Flint replied.

"But Draco did fight back rather viciously," Millicent Bulstrode's voice was quiet.

"Look this is all part of Malfoy Senior's plan," Theodore Nott scoffed, "Draco is supposed to get close to the mudblood and when she trusts him completely, Lucius will put Draco back under the imperious curse so that he brings her to us."

"I don't understand why he wants the mudblood though," Pansy whined, "What's so special about _her_?"

"I don't know all of the details," Theo snapped, "All I know is that the mudblood and the she weasel are the key to getting to Potter. They're only stepping stones."

"How do they expect to get Potter's wife? She has to have all sorts of protection on her," Marcus said.

"Like I said before, I don't know all of the details," Theo snarled, "Now drop it! We have other things we need to worry about. We have to find Granger's parents."

"Her parents? Aren't they dead?" Millicent asked.

"No, stupid," Pansy huffed, "Granger erased their memories and she wasn't able to find them after the final battle of Hogwarts."

"So why are we finding them?" Millicent sighed.

"Because if Draco fails we need a backup plan," Theo was getting exasperated, Draco could tell.

The whole time the prior Slytherin's were talking, Ginny was holding Draco back. She was pretty sure all of it was making him angry but she knew it was mostly the stuff about Hermione. He was glaring at her and trying to shove her away, but it wasn't working very well. The woman had a death grip on his arm! He scowled and shook his arm, which only caused her to stumble slightly and she squeaked in surprise. The tunnel suddenly got deathly silent. Draco knew that they had heard Ginny and he slowly started to back away. Theo was inching forward, his hand raised, waiting to signal the others. His eyes darted around the tunnel and he pulled out his wand, flinging curse after curse in their direction.

"Run, Gin!" Draco yelled, pushing her forward while flinging hexes over his shoulder.

"Hey that's Draco's voice!" Pansy shrieked, pulling out her wand and joining Theo.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Marcus asked as he flung a stunning spell in Draco's direction.

The curse hit Ginny square in the back and she fell forward. Draco cursed and picked her up in his arms, sending one last body bind curse in Theo's direction before disapperating back to Hermione's flat. Draco placed Ginny gently on the couch and placed the tip of his wand at her temple before uttering the spell to wake her up. Ginny's eyes fluttered open and she gasped, bolting upright, her forehead colliding with Draco's in the process. Draco groaned and grabbed his head while Ginny fell backwards onto the couch.

"What happened?" Ginny moaned.

"You were hit with a stunning spell," Draco gasped, "What in Merlin's name were you thinking?"

"I saw Pansy and Marcus in the coffee shop by my flat," Ginny said, cringing as she sat up, "And I overheard them talking about meeting up with Theo and Millicent so I thought we could go spy on them!"

Draco was seething, "Are you insane, Ginny? What if you had gotten hurt? Potter would have killed me!"

"But I'm fine and now we know some of the plan!" her eyes were bright with excitement, "I hate just sitting on the sidelines!"

"Well now you know they're after you, too," Draco sighed and eased himself onto the other chair.

"They're right about all of the protection I have," Ginny whispered, "Harry is very over protective so we have so many wards around our house I don't think Dumbledore himself could have breached it."

"What about Hermione's flat?" Draco asked.

Ginny laughed, "She has just as many. Harry is just as protective of her."

"Well that's good," Draco muttered.

The door to Hermione's flat opened and Draco pushed himself up and walked towards the front door. Hermione was closing the door behind her when Draco walked up and she gave him a small smile. She had gotten home from work early and Draco was always relieved to see her come home safe and sound. Ginny was already gone by the time they made it into the living room and Hermione sighed as she sat down on the couch.

"How was your day?" Draco asked from the kitchen.

"Long," Hermione called back, "I left early."

Draco chuckled, "I know."

He walked back into the living room with a steaming mug of Hermione's favorite tea and handed it to her. She held the mug close to her chest and let the heat seep into her fingers. She took a tentative sip and moaned softly at the taste. Merlin, Draco could make good tea. After the night that Draco had kissed her, she didn't really know how to act around him. Yet not being close to him felt wrong. It made her feel hallow and so she would try to get innocent touches when she could. A brush of his arm, her fingers accidently grazing his skin. She needed that contact and she didn't really understand why. It was driving her insane, actually. Draco was staring at her and she looked up to meet his gaze.

"What is it, Draco?" Hermione asked.

"We should take a vacation for a little bit," Draco blurted out.

"A vacation? To where?" Hermione furrowed her eyebrows.

"I have my own house, out in the country," Draco mumbled, "It was my own personal safe house during the war. My mother gave me the money and I bought the house I wanted. I'm the secret keeper and no one else knows where it is."

Hermione perked up, "You would take me there?"

"I would take you anywhere you wanted to go, Hermione," Draco said softly.

A blush stained Hermione's cheeks and she looked back down into her mug of tea. Draco would randomly say cute things like that and it only confused her more. He seemed to care for her but how could that be possible with the way that he treated her during school? Sure, most of it was because of his father but surely he couldn't feel that way about her now, right? Hermione would absolutely love to get out of the city for a while and just relax, it would be a good way to clear her head and maybe figure things out with Draco.

She looked back up at him and smiled, "I think that's a wonderful idea. When would we leave?"

"Tomorrow," Draco grinned.

_{ obliviate_ _}_

**Author's Note: **Here is chapter four! I know it's mostly just a filler chapter but there is some good plot stuff in there too, I think! The next chapter or two will be Hermione and Draco's vacation in the country and there will probably be some fluff! I'm trying to keep them apart for as long as possible but I just love writing them together that it will probably happen soon! Well, let me know what you think of this chapter and I'll get the next one up as soon as I'm able!

Remember:  
><strong>REVIEW:)<strong>


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